There’s nothing more important than speed when lag putting. The secret to becoming a good lag putter is not necessarily having great aim, but rather having good speed.
Why is that? Well, on average, the dispersion of your lag putts is larger front-to-back than it is left-to-right. If you can tighten your dispersion front-to-back, then you’ll have a much easier time getting the ball close to the hole from distance.
Putting the ball with the proper weight isn’t always a recreational player’s strength. Most golfers don’t practice lag putting near enough, and as a result their speed suffers. It might be a crucial element to becoming a great putter, but most golfers have no idea where to start when it comes to improving.
Check out the video below from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Michael Hunt for a great tip on how to improve your speed on lag putts.
“[Their struggles] have a lot to do with the backswing,” Hunt says. “I see them take their putter back and they don’t go back very far. And then they make the stroke and the ball comes up short.”
With this abbreviated backswing, it’s tough to get the correct speed. To combat this, Hunt suggests making a few practice swings with only your right hand on the grip.
“A good way to practice this, even on the golf course, is just to make some swings with just your right arm,” Hunt says. “This helps you lengthen out the stroke and can also help create great tempo in your stroke.”
If you’ve ever watched Tiger Woods on the practice green, this is a drill he does nearly every time he practices. Once you’ve done a few practice swings with just one hand on the club, address the ball with both hands on the grip and try to replicate that same tempo.
“That can help and improve your lag putting,” Hunt says.
